George Wajackoyah fails to vote after Kiems kit hitch

Roots Party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah

The Roots Party presidential candidate George Wajackoyah. He is quite some character, and a unicorn not just in Kenya and Africa but globally.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Roots Party presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah Tuesday morning failed to vote after the elections technology kits failed to work at his polling station.

Prof Wajackoyah had turned up at the Indangalasia Primary School at around a quarter past 10 am to cast his ballot, but officials said the Kenya Integrated Elections Management Systems (Kiems) kits had stopped working, and had requested direction from the headquarters.

“You would have started from here. But we are experiencing a challenge. The problem is with the machine. There is nothing we can do (now). We have communicated to the headquarters, and they said they are coming. If it is okay, voters will be given their 11 hours from the time we start,” an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) official told Prof Wajackoyah.

The official assured Prof Wajackoyah that once the issue has been resolved, he and the other voters in the polling station will be allowed back to the station.

Prof Wajackoyah was optimistic that the issue will be resolved fast.

“I do not understand. Why is it not working? And can’t you just scan our identification documents and we vote? But do not worry. Things happen. As long as we do not go beyond today, we hope these issues are resolved,” Prof Wajackoyah told the IEBC official.

UPDATE: Prof Wajackoyah later returned to the polling station and was able to vote after being identified through the manual register. 

Wajackoyah finally casts vote after Kiems hitch